ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

There was a store in Toledo, Ohio, now sadly closed, that was the biggest store I have ever been to, bigger than some small towns. If you’ve ever seen the Pentagon, you’ll have an idea of its size.

I loved it.

It was called The Andersons, because it was owned by the Andersons (the sign on their mailbox said “The Andersons� in the same style and typeface as the signs on their stores).

They sold everything there, and I mean everything. If Walmart and Home Depot had a baby, that would just be the start of The Andersons. The groceries part of the store was far more extensive, the wine and beer selections better curated, the liquor store fully stocked.

It was a clothing store, though the clothing section was small, a pet store, a plumbing store. I used to joke that you could buy a pet fish there and, after it died, you could buy the toilet to flush it down.

The Andersons has been on my mind lately for two reasons. The first is the recent death of Meehan Karimi Nasseri, the Iranian man who, for somewhat bewildering bureaucratic reasons, was compelled to live for 18 years in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Steven Spielberg made a movie loosely based on his story, “The Terminal,� starring Tom Hanks. It wasn’t very good.

Nasseri got along pretty well in the airport, all things considered, though apparently it put him in a fragile emotional state. I can’t help but think he would have been happier if he lived instead inside The Andersons, where he would have had access to anything he could possibly have wanted.

The other reason it has been on my mind is that I finally made my first trip to Wally’s in Fenton.

Wally’s is a destination gas station. It is The Andersons of gas stations. It has 72 gas pumps and several electric vehicle charging stations. But that’s not what makes it notable — though six dozen gas pumps will get your attention.

What makes it notable is what is inside the building. It is a convenience store, but it is so much more than that. It is a Convenience Store of the Gods.

Open for a year, Wally’s is already known for its beef brisket. The Post-Dispatch’s own Ian Froeb has actually reviewed it, though he preferred the store’s pastrami links and the pizza.

A bakery there turns out fresh-baked cookies, cinnamon rolls and scones, and a coffee bar also serves eight flavors of ice cream. Enormous pizzas are available whole or by the slice, and sandwiches and fresh-popped popcorn are also popular. One wall is filled with beef jerky in an abundance of flavors.

So far, it’s not much different from other supersized gas stations such as Love’s or Sheetz. But Wally’s has things even they don’t have.

Such as ant farms. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen ant farms for sale at a Casey’s General Store or a Pilot Flying J Travel Center. It is comforting to know that if it is 3 a.m. and you absolutely need an ant farm, you can always pick one up at Wally’s.

Other oversized gas station convenience stores sell fishing and hunting gear, of course, but Wally’s is the only one I’ve seen where you can also get a Red Ryder carbine-action BB gun, with which you’ll shoot your eye out. And while other oversized gas station convenience stores have a dispenser for fountain drinks, I have never seen one with 49 different flavors including cucumber-lime, dreamsicle and ginger beer.

For a convenience store, Wally’s also has an expansive gift section, which is helpful when you care about someone enough to give him a last-minute gift from a gas station.

The selections run heavily toward planters and kitchen items. Some of the items are fairly gourmet and exotic, such as lemon-and-avocado-oil aioli or a platter specifically for baking brie. But most are more down-to-earth, such as cocktail napkins with funny sayings.

“By now the wine should know enough to come out of the store when I honk,� says one.

I think that’s pretty good for something you buy at a gas station.

Somewhere, Meehan Karimi Nasseri would be pleased.